Airlines are cracking down on portable chargers over fire risk concerns

Arlines are tightening their rules on batteries and portable chargers.

Because of fire risks, you'll now have to keep your portable chargers visible while you're using them, at least on Southwest Airlines flights. In other words, you can't charge your laptop or Switch in the overhead bin. This, the airline argues, will allow them to better catch and stop a fire if a battery overheats. This policy went into effect on May 28.

"When a portable charger/power bank is used during a flight, it must be out of any baggage and remain in plain sight," Southwest Airlines' policy reads. "Do not charge devices in the overhead bin."

You can still travel with up to 20 spare batteries, including portable chargers and power banks, at a time on Southwest.

"Portable chargers and spare batteries must be protected from short circuit by protecting any exposed terminals and packed in your carryon (sic) bag or with you onboard," the policy continues. "Lithium-ion batteries size must not exceed 100 watt-hours."

Southwest's policy is actually fairly generous, as many foreign arlines are taking much stricter approaches to portable charging products.

Other airlines, including EVA Air, China Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Thai Airways, and Singapore Airlines, have all completely banned the use of portable chargers while passengers are in-flight, The New York Times reported. Ryanair asks passengers to remove lithium batteries from overhead bins, and the South Korean government requires that passengers keep their portable chargers out of overhead bins, too, also according to The New York Times. The Federal Aviation Administration, for its part, requires that lithium-ion batteries be kept in carry-on baggage.

This comes just a few months after a fire destroyed an Air Busan plane on the tarmac in South Korea, likely because of a portable power bank, local authorities told the BBC at the time. However, The New York Times reports that there is "no definitive link between portable batteries and the Air Busan fire, and an investigation is underway."

Better safe than sorry, I guess?

Like many travel regulations, rules are different for different airlines, so be sure to check your airline's official website before you head out on your next flight.